The Enhanced Fujita scale, explained
How tornadoes are rated, and the record's count at each rating
Tornadoes in the United States are rated EF0 to EF5 by the damage they leave, using wind estimates from 65 mph (EF0) to over 200 mph (EF5). Since the scale replaced the original Fujita scale on February 1, 2007, 88% of rated tornadoes have been EF0 or EF1; the 656 rated F4/EF4 or F5/EF5 since 1950 caused 61% of all tornado deaths.
By PlainHazard Editorial · Updated · How this was measured
The scale
The ratings are wind estimates, not measurements. A survey team estimates the three-second gust at the point of damage from how badly each of 28 kinds of structure and vegetation (the "damage indicators", from farm outbuildings to trees) was damaged. The original Fujita scale, which rates every tornado in the record before February 1, 2007, used different wind ranges.
| Rating | 3-second gust, mph |
|---|---|
| EF0 | 65-85 |
| EF1 | 86-110 |
| EF2 | 111-135 |
| EF3 | 136-165 |
| EF4 | 166-200 |
| EF5 | Over 200 |
| Rating | Fastest 1/4-mile wind, mph |
|---|---|
| F0 | 40-72 |
| F1 | 73-112 |
| F2 | 113-157 |
| F3 | 158-207 |
| F4 | 208-260 |
| F5 | 261-318 |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center, Enhanced F Scale for Tornado Damage. The SPC table.
What each rating looks like
The Storm Prediction Center describes the typical damage at each level of the original Fujita scale; the Enhanced Fujita ratings keep the same six levels, assigned from the damage indicators below. SPC warns that the F-scale winds "were not meant to be used literally" and "have not been verified in science or engineering".
| Rating | Wind estimate, mph | Typical damage |
|---|---|---|
| F0 | < 73 | Light damage. Some damage to chimneys; branches broken off trees; shallow-rooted trees pushed over; sign boards damaged. |
| F1 | 73-112 | Moderate damage. Peels surface off roofs; mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned; moving autos blown off roads. |
| F2 | 113-157 | Considerable damage. Roofs torn off frame houses; mobile homes demolished; boxcars overturned; large trees snapped or uprooted; light-object missiles generated; cars lifted off ground. |
| F3 | 158-206 | Severe damage. Roofs and some walls torn off well-constructed houses; trains overturned; most trees in forest uprooted; heavy cars lifted off the ground and thrown. |
| F4 | 207-260 | Devastating damage. Well-constructed houses leveled; structures with weak foundations blown away some distance; cars thrown and large missiles generated. |
| F5 | 261-318 | Incredible damage. Strong frame houses leveled off foundations and swept away; automobile-sized missiles fly through the air in excess of 100 meters (109 yds); trees debarked; incredible phenomena will occur. |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center, Fujita Tornado Damage Scale. SPC's F-scale page.
The 28 damage indicators
Each indicator is a kind of structure or tree with its own table of damage levels. The Storm Prediction Center lists them:
| No. | Damage indicator | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Small barns, farm outbuildings | SBO |
| 2 | One- or two-family residences | FR12 |
| 3 | Single-wide mobile home (MHSW) | MHSW |
| 4 | Double-wide mobile home | MHDW |
| 5 | Apt, condo, townhouse (3 stories or less) | ACT |
| 6 | Motel | M |
| 7 | Masonry apt. or motel | MAM |
| 8 | Small retail bldg. (fast food) | SRB |
| 9 | Small professional (doctor office, branch bank) | SPB |
| 10 | Strip mall | SM |
| 11 | Large shopping mall | LSM |
| 12 | Large, isolated ("big box") retail bldg. | LIRB |
| 13 | Automobile showroom | ASR |
| 14 | Automotive service building | ASB |
| 15 | School - 1-story elementary (interior or exterior halls) | ES |
| 16 | School - jr. or sr. high school | JHSH |
| 17 | Low-rise (1-4 story) bldg. | LRB |
| 18 | Mid-rise (5-20 story) bldg. | MRB |
| 19 | High-rise (over 20 stories) | HRB |
| 20 | Institutional bldg. (hospital, govt. or university) | IB |
| 21 | Metal building system | MBS |
| 22 | Service station canopy | SSC |
| 23 | Warehouse (tilt-up walls or heavy timber) | WHB |
| 24 | Transmission line tower | TLT |
| 25 | Free-standing tower | FST |
| 26 | Free standing pole (light, flag, luminary) | FSP |
| 27 | Tree - hardwood | TH |
| 28 | Tree - softwood | TS |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center, Enhanced F Scale for Tornado Damage. The SPC list.
A worked example: a house
For each indicator a table ties each degree of damage (DOD) to an expected wind and a lower and upper bound. For one- and two-family homes (FR12), "Exterior walls collapsed" is DOD 7: an expected 132 mph, between 113 and 153 mph. On the operational scale 132 mph is EF2; the bounds run from EF2 to EF3. That is why the same damage can carry neighbouring ratings, and why the scale reports estimates, not measurements.
| DOD | Damage description | Expected | Lower, upper | At expected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Threshold of visible damage | 65 | 53-80 | EF0 |
| 2 | Loss of roof covering material (<20%), gutters and/or awning; loss of vinyl or metal siding | 79 | 63-97 | EF0 |
| 3 | Broken glass in doors and windows | 96 | 79-114 | EF1 |
| 4 | Uplift of roof deck and loss of significant roof covering material (>20%); collapse of chimney; garage doors collapse inward; failure of porch or carport | 97 | 81-116 | EF1 |
| 5 | Entire house shifts off foundation | 121 | 103-141 | EF2 |
| 6 | Large sections of roof structure removed; most walls remain standing | 122 | 104-142 | EF2 |
| 7 | Exterior walls collapsed | 132 | 113-153 | EF2 |
| 8 | Most walls collapsed, except small interior rooms | 152 | 127-178 | EF3 |
| 9 | All walls | 170 | 142-198 | EF4 |
| 10 | Destruction of engineered and/or well constructed residence; slab swept clean | 200 | 165-220 | EF4 |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center, damage indicator 2 (FR12) degree-of-damage table. The FR12 table.
How many tornadoes have each rating?
| Rating | F scale (1950 to Jan 2007) | EF scale (Feb 2007 on) | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unrated (EFU) | 21 | 1,525 | 2 |
| 0 | 21,761 | 11,568 | 24 |
| 1 | 16,873 | 8,306 | 254 |
| 2 | 7,971 | 2,108 | 671 |
| 3 | 2,143 | 526 | 1,498 |
| 4 | 498 | 98 | 2,542 |
| 5 | 50 | 10 | 1,350 |
Weak tornadoes dominate the count: 11,568 EF0 and 8,306 EF1 since 2007, of 22,616 rated. Deaths concentrate at the top: tornadoes rated 4 or 5 are 0.9% of all rated tornadoes and caused 61% of the deaths.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025. SPC severe weather database.
Sources
NOAA Storm Prediction Center, "Enhanced F Scale for Tornado Damage" (spc.noaa.gov/efscale/ef-scale.html) and its FR12 degree-of-damage table, read October 7, 2026; NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025.